Beginner needs help with plant selection on 4 gallon finnex

[dewalltheway]

The eco itself will be fine. I have had some dry out before and then reused it in my tank without any problems.

[merk1_99]

Ok I won't worry about it them. I will just throw in a bucket with some water and start the filter on it. I wonder should I feed it to start the cycle. That way I will be a week ahead.

[NeonShrimp]

I have not thought about starting it in a bucket but I think it will work. Let us know how it goes.

[merk1_99]

Well as suspected the Eco had ripped and leaked. But the substarte was still wet throughout so I just threw it all in a cooler with an airstone. Threw about 2 cups of betta bowl water in there and an airstone.

The good news is the replacement tank shipped and will deliver on Friday if all goes well. So if all goes well on Friday I will get the soil in the tank and get the filter heater and light going. Then I can order plants over the weekend and get them to deliver Tuesday or Weds. Get the plants in and then the following day the betta goes in. What an expensive betta.

Question....I was thinking of adding 3/4''-1'' of peat moss on the bottom of the tank. Then cover with 2 1/2''-3'' of Eco. Any ideas of how this would work?

[merk1_99]

Well I call Dr F&S to complain about the ECO leaking, and they are sending me a new bag. I told the lady I just wanted to alert them of the problem and wasn't looking for new product....But they insisted....

[NeonShrimp]

That is some pretty good customer service. Although they do have a problem with shipping their products. I ordered items that arrived with dented/smashed boxes, but the items were still functional.

[merk1_99]

I work in the packaging industry and I was calling from that angle. Well I guess I will have substrate for my next nano tank....

[merk1_99]

Well I ordered the plants today since the tank arrived intact. So I got all that I wanted in my last list and then I added some glosso. Everyone seems to have it....Anyways I doubt my light will be good enough but we will see.

Now my next challenge is to find peat moss in New England when its almost winter....yikes!

[NeonShrimp]

Check your local nursery, they should have some year round.

[Pooky125]

You definitely don't need a whole inch of peat moss under your soil though. Really a light dusting will be sufficient. Any more then that and I'd worry about it rotting to quickly.

[merk1_99]

I have read that and was thinking about maybe a 1/4'' of peat moss. Hopefully I don't have to buy a 40lb bale.

[aquaphish]

Why add the peat moss. The ECO should be fine by itself. Since this is your first it might be best to stick with just the traditional setup without the extras that might cause troubles with molding and discolored water.

[PinBallAnnie]

This looks quite a bit like my tank thus far, so good to compare notes (and maybe crib a little) from the responses. Ecocomplete, the Finnex 4g, which I like very much--had it about 9 months.

I'm looking for a good heater for this size, so if you find a good one post the details.

[merk1_99]

I have a stealth 25 watt have yet to plug it in. Tank is at 61 degrees b/c house is cold. I will plug it in tomorrow after the tank clears....pics for sure... The peat moss is because I am using Diane Walstad/Tom Barre no CO2 method. The peat moss will provide nutrients for the ECO. Tank will be heavily planted on Tuesday. I have read quite a bit on this method. I am ok if the water is not ultra clear, in nature there is very little very clear lake ecosystems....

[PinBallAnnie]

Keep us posted! Curious how the peat goes for you....

Cardamine lyrata arriving this week, and I bought a Hydor Theo heater--I went for smaller, but I hope it does the trick. When it looks like something I'll post pictures.